-Caveat Lector- WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Couples want peace at home Divorce case dismissals soar here since Sept. 11 By MARY FLOOD Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle Some Houstonians want to make love, not war. Dismissals in divorce cases have skyrocketed in the Harris County Family Law courts since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11. Family-law attorneys have found that clients contemplating divorce, as well as those in the middle of one, now say they will try to patch things up. Family-law cases, the vast majority of which are divorces, have been dismissed in nearly three times the volume in the days after the tragedy as in the days before it. In the 10 working days since Sept. 11, about 400 family-law suits have been dismissed. In the five working days before airplanes struck the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, about 75 lawsuits were dismissed. It's a small sample but one supported by anecdotal evidence from lawyers with clients who suddenly want to stop even contentious divorces. State District Judge Linda Motheral, who hears family-law cases, said the trend seems likely a product of the "general sense everywhere that people realize this could be it, our lives may have changed forever and the things we worried about before look like small potatoes." "It could be a coincidence, but it would be one big coincidence," said Motheral. In her court alone, 54 cases were dismissed in the 10 days the court has been open since Sept. 11. In the five working days at the beginning of the month, 13 cases were dismissals. Annette Henry, a lawyer who handles family-law cases, said right after the explosions she had telephone calls from two clients, both who had preliminary consultations. Both canceled their appointments for Sept. 11. "I just thought they would reschedule. But in both cases, they said they were going to try to reconcile instead," Henry said. "One woman said she had children and with all that had happened she just couldn't do it, she wanted to keep them all together." Henry said that when someone files for divorce, their problems seem huge and insurmountable. "But with a tragedy like this, it puts it all in perspective. Whatever was driving you crazy no longer seems so significant," she said. Michael Von Blon, an attorney who specializes in family-law cases, said two clients stopped their divorce proceedings last week. One couple asked that the case be dismissed. The other wanted the case halted; they want to try to get back together. Though Von Blon said he and most divorce attorneys ask clients whether they can somehow reconcile, a halt to the proceedings in midstream is unusual. "I've probably had 10 reconciliations like this in 20 years of practice. Two in one week is unusual," said Von Blon, who suspects the Sept. 11 tragedy is the catalyst. "People stop and think about the most basic things in life -- companionship, love and family," Von Blon said. David Wells, associate minister of counseling services at Houston's First Baptist Church, is pleased but not surprised by the trend. Wells has a client who said the tragedy made her husband finally take working on the marriage seriously. He also said he has seen an increase in people wanting emergency help with their relationship problems. "People seem to be wanting to get their life in order," Wells said. It's not all wine and roses at the courthouse, though. Plenty of new lawsuits have been filed in the days since the attacks. And plenty of divorce lawyers haven't seen any reconciling clients. Family-law attorney Ellen Elkins Grimes hoped the national tragedy would cause some clients to leave differences behind. "Unfortunately, I haven't seen that. There are still people calling, upset with each other," Grimes said. "Maybe when people hear about the others trying this, they'll find hope." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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